Few places can match the swagger and flash of the Amalfi Coast; the stretch of the Costiera between Positano, Amalfi and Ravello boasts some of the finest hotels and most spectacular hiking and boating in Italy. Folks around here are a proud bunch. It goes way back (as these things often do in Italy), to […]

We have nothing but love for the Ritzes and Four Seasons, Amans and Oberois of the world. You can’t argue with plush décor and impeccable service. But luxury suites don’t exist everywhere, and sometimes the destination is all the better for its lack of 5-star accommodations. I discovered Cape San Blas on a last minute […]

As if being perhaps the most photogenic valley in Tuscany were not enough, for good measure the Val d’Orcia packs a knockout foodie punch: Vino Nobile wine and pecorino di Pienza cheese. The Val d’Orcia is the quintessential Tuscan landscape: wide open skies, rolling hills lined with immaculate cypress trees, swaying fields of grain elegantly […]

A large part of what we do is help clients decide when to go where. Dream trips quickly morph into cautionary tales when you end up sweating through your entire travel wardrobe, or knee-deep in the flood waters of your hotel. Lucky we know a few places that shine in the off season. Istanbul (Turkey) […]

I think my love for beaches was originally fueled by my hatred for wearing shoes. Footwear is a form of slavery, if you ask me. So imagine my glee when I arrived at Soneva Fushi, a private island in the Maldives with a “no shoes” policy. They actually took my sandals from me, put them […]

I’ve always loved the Makgadikgadi Pans, but struggled to put my finger on why, as I’m a sucker for a huge herd of elephants, or a magisterial lion lounging in the grass; the Pans have none of this. After spending some time at the newly resurrected San Camp I have finally figured it out. Out […]

I’ve come to Easter Island for a week away, and I’m determined to do something other than see the moai. I mean them no disrespect. But it seems ludicrous to travel five hours by plane from the nearest significant speck of land (continental Chile) to do nothing but stare at statues. I am greeted at […]

It hit 38 C (100 F) in Toronto this July. And that’s before the humidex (it’s a Canadian thing—if you’re American, you have the heat index) pushed it up to something otherworldly like 49 C. I know it’s taboo to think of winter in the midst of our too-short ever-sweet summers, but my mind couldn’t […]

Many visit Sirince for just an afternoon when they go to the magnificent Roman ruins at Ephesus; a side trip to pick up a few souvenirs. But this village hugging the hills of the South Aegean is better experienced with a longer stay for its own sake. Sirince was settled in the 15th Century by […]

Modernizing a famous hotel is a difficult job. I’m not suggesting it’s in the same league as lion taming, or being a Kardashian, but think about it; take a legendary landmark and update it to meet the needs of the 21st century traveler, but without changing its fundamental essence. A case in point is the […]

If Trufflepig had a people’s choice award, it’s quite possible Amanyara would win it. After countless requests and rave reviews from our travellers, we simply had to see it for ourselves. In a Caribbean world of wicker, floral patterns and gingerbread trim, Amanyara is as alien as they come. It’s no wonder they picked a […]

Sometimes I rant about the trips we can plan and you just have to take my word for it. On this occasion, however, I have National Geographic Traveler backing me up. Check out our San Bushman Hunt & Kubu Island Safari—selected as the 2011 ‘Tour of a Lifetime’ in Botswana. What if I told you […]

I am a city boy. I thrive in concrete jungles, like the Barbican in East London, Soho in NY, or walking through the skyscrapers of HK. The thought of spending seven nights in a sea-faring vessel traversing the equatorial seas was not an immediately appealing prospect. Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are in the vast Pacific, a […]

When it comes to the big mountains, the coveted hotels tend to be slope-side. But in Whistler, being right in the heart of the action may not be your best bet. In fact, Whistler’s best spot to stay is located ‘off-piste’, at the Four Seasons Whistler. Though the Fairmont is right on Blackcomb mountain, and the […]

Some trips you’ve planned in your head from the age of five, while others come to you in a moment of inspiration. Consider this your moment of inspiration. This one goes out to the impulsive among you—can I get a show of hands? If I could bestow upon you one perfectly constructed and heavily discounted […]

A private island is the ultimate canvas upon which to express oneself, as a visit to Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands will attest. Consider the joy of a new room or a new house. As a designer, you get to start from scratch, create your idealized vision—it’s pure projection. Children, you might […]